Morel mushrooms are a type of wild mushroom that is highly prized for its unique flavor and texture. They are typically found in the spring in moist, wooded areas and can be identified by their distinctive honeycomb-like cap. Morel mushrooms can be cooked in a variety of ways, but they are most commonly sautéed, fried, or added to soups and stews. They can also be dried and used as a seasoning. No matter how they are prepared, morel mushrooms are a delicious and versatile ingredient that can add a touch of elegance to any dish. So, if you're lucky enough to find some morel mushrooms, be sure to give them a try!
Check out the recipes below so you can choose the best recipe for yourself!
SIMPLE FRIED MOREL MUSHROOMS
These mushrooms are a treasure of the woods hunted by many in the early spring here in Missouri. Simple and quick to fry and enjoy. Finding these can be very hard to find in the woods but well worth the work once you get a mess of them to eat.
Provided by Jonna
Categories Side Dish
Time 30m
Yield 4
Number Of Ingredients 4
Steps:
- Place halved morel mushrooms in a large bowl; cover with cold, lightly salted water. Refrigerate mushrooms for about 5 minutes to loosen any dirt; pour off salted water, rinse, and repeat twice more. Crevices of the mushrooms may harbor tiny stones or even insects. Thoroughly rinse mushrooms a final time and allow to drain on paper towels.
- Place flour in a shallow bowl.
- Heat vegetable shortening in a large skillet until very hot.
- Roll mushrooms in flour and tap off excess; gently lay mushrooms in the hot shortening.
- Pan-fry until golden brown and flour coating is crisp, 5 to 8 minutes, turning often. Drain morels on paper towels, salt to taste, and enjoy your treasures!
Nutrition Facts : Calories 184.6 calories, Carbohydrate 29.2 g, Fat 5.3 g, Fiber 2.2 g, Protein 5.9 g, SaturatedFat 1.3 g, Sodium 39.4 mg, Sugar 1.4 g
DEEP-FRIED MOREL MUSHROOMS
We hunt these every spring and, cooked this way, you can taste the mushroom and they stay crispy. These are the prime rib of mushrooms! You will love these so much you won't be able to stop eating them.
Provided by Peggianne
Categories Appetizers and Snacks Vegetable Mushrooms
Time 49m
Yield 4
Number Of Ingredients 12
Steps:
- Place morels in a large bowl of warm salted water and leave to soak, about 30 minutes. Drain.
- Combine flour, cracker crumbs, paprika, black pepper, cayenne pepper, oregano, thyme, and cumin in a large resealable plastic bag to make breading mix.
- Whisk milk and egg together in a small bowl.
- Heat oil in a deep-fryer or large saucepan to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
- Dip mushrooms, a few at a time, into milk mixture. Toss in breading mix until coated; shake off excess.
- Fry breaded morels in the hot oil, working in batches, until dark brown and crispy, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Drain on paper towels.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 295.9 calories, Carbohydrate 32.6 g, Cholesterol 53.8 mg, Fat 14.6 g, Fiber 2.2 g, Protein 9.7 g, SaturatedFat 3 g, Sodium 59.8 mg, Sugar 5.5 g
FRIED MOREL MUSHROOMS DONE RIGHT
So many people spend hours and hours searching for Morels, and then ruin them by cooking them incorrectly. Follow this recipe for crispy Morel perfection! I usually do this outside with a cast iron skillet on a grill because the frying oil will make your kitchen smell for a while.
Provided by TCSmoooth
Categories Low Protein
Time 1h45m
Yield 1 Batch of Morels, 4 serving(s)
Number Of Ingredients 10
Steps:
- Using a small, sharp knife, Cut Morels in half "long ways." For exceptionally large mushrooms, cut them in half long ways, then again long ways, so that you get 4 equal pieces.
- Fill a bowl (approximately a gallon) with hot tap water. As hot as your sink will make it. Add roughly 1 cup of salt to the water and stir well until salt dissolves.
- Soak the Morels in the hot salt water for about 4 minutes. Everyone will tell you that you need to soak them overnight, but don't believe them. This step is intended to kill and remove the bugs from the mushrooms. There are no forest bugs that can survive under hot salt water for 4 minutes. If you soak them overnight, it damages the flavor of the mushrooms, adds too much salt water, and leaves them soggy. 4 minutes is all you need.
- Fill a shallow bowl with CAKE flour (yes, there's a difference). Add about 1 tablepoon of salt and 2 tablespoons of pepper. Sift and mix well. This is your Dry Batter Bowl.
- In a second bowl, beat 4 eggs and add in about 1 tablespoon of Milk and about a quarter cup of Club Soda. This will give the batter a light, crispy, tempura style. This is your wet batter bowl.
- At your sink put a sieve/colander/strainer in one side of the sink and get your soaking morel bowl to the left of that. Turn your sink on cold, at the lowest stream you can without it just dripping. The sink should just barely be on. Individually take each mushroom piece out of the salt water, and gently rinse it off under the old sink to remove and dirt or dead bugs. Then put the piece in the sieve to drip dry.
- Mushrooms should go FIRST into the Wet Batter, SECOND into the Cake Flour, and then THIRD knock off all the excess clumps and repeat until all mushrooms are coated with the flour batter. For that THIRD step, there are Plastic Tubs that you can buy that helps you batter almost anything. This works the best, but if you don't have that, just use a big Ziplock Bag to shake the mushrooms up in to get them well coated with the flour.
- Put your floured mushroom bowl in the fridge for about 30 minutes if you have time. This allows for the batter to stick better to the mushrooms.
- Fill your grease pan (skillet or pot) with Lard and heat to about 360 degrees. Don't use Vegetable oil or anything besides Lard. I know, it's unhealthy and no one uses Lard anymore, but it's the only way to make your mushrooms NOT taste like oil. Vegetable Oil, Peanut Oil, and Shortening will all leave your mushrooms tasting like oil. Use Lard! You only get this once a year, so forget about "healthy" and do 'em up right!
- To test if your oil is hot enough, toss a little bit of flour in the pan. If it bubbles, then the oil is hot enough.
- Toss the 'shroom in the oil. Let it fry for about a minute, then flip it and fry for another minute. Don't put more than 5 or so in the oil at one time because tossing cold mushrooms in the oil will cool it down.
- Allow the mushrooms to cool on paper towel.
- Add salt or Garlic Salt, or Lawry's Seasoned Salt as desired and eat. My personal favorite is Tony Chacheres Cajun Creole Salt, a little bit of garlic (salt or powder) and Coarse ground Black Pepper.
MOREL MUSHROOMS WITH BUTTER AND SHALLOTS
With little effort, these harbingers of spring can be prepped to use in a multitude of dishes. One of the tastiest is simply sauteing them with butter and shallots. It's a classic way to highlight their umami earthiness. This preparation makes a delicious accompaniment to any main dish, though it's equally wonderful tossed with pasta, stirred into risotto, served alongside eggs -- and of course, enjoyed on its own.
Provided by Food Network Kitchen
Categories side-dish
Time 10m
Yield 4 to 6 side servings (3 cups)
Number Of Ingredients 7
Steps:
- Add the butter, olive oil, thyme, shallot and garlic to a large high-sided skillet. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until butter is melted and shallots are softened, about 2 minutes. Add the mushrooms and cook, gently stirring occasionally, until they release moisture and are golden brown on edges of stems, about 4 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
CHICKEN AND ARTICHOKE FRICASSéE WITH MOREL MUSHROOMS
Crème fraîche is the secret ingredient that teases out the artichokes' sweet richness, and it brings this delicious spring braise together.
Provided by Molly Stevens
Categories Soup/Stew Milk/Cream Chicken Dairy Garlic Herb Mushroom Vegetable Sauté Dinner Artichoke Spring Bon Appétit Peanut Free Tree Nut Free Soy Free
Yield Makes 4 to 6 servings
Number Of Ingredients 18
Steps:
- Fill large bowl with water. Squeeze juice from 1 lemon into water; add lemon halves. Tear outer leaves from 1 artichoke until only pale green leaves remain. Cut top 3/4 inch from top; trim end of stem. Cut in half lengthwise. Rub cut sides of artichoke with lemon half; transfer to bowl with lemon water. Repeat with remaining artichokes.
- Bring 6 cups water, 2 tablespoons flour, 2 teaspoons salt, and bay leaf to boil in large saucepan. Add artichoke halves and cook until just tender, about 5 minutes. Drain.
- Melt butter with oil in heavy large deep skillet over medium heat. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. Dredge chicken in flour, shaking off excess. Cook chicken until golden brown, about 4 minutes per side. Transfer chicken to plate. Add mushrooms, carrots, and shallots to skillet. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Sauté until vegetables begin to soften, about 4 minutes. Add 1 tablespoon thyme and garlic; sauté 1 minute. Add wine; bring to boil. Add broth and artichokes; bring to boil.
- Return chicken to skillet, reduce heat to medium low, cover, and simmer 20 minutes. Turn chicken, cover, and simmer until cooked through, about 15 minutes longer. Transfer chicken and vegetables to platter. Whisk crème fraîche into sauce in skillet; bring to boil. Season with salt and pepper. Pour sauce over chicken, sprinkle with remaining 1 tablespoon thyme, and serve.
CROSTINI OF FAVA BEAN PUREE, FRESH RICOTTA, AND MOREL MUSHROOMS
Provided by Food Network
Categories appetizer
Time 45m
Yield 12 to 15 servings
Number Of Ingredients 12
Steps:
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- Using a pastry brush, brush a cookie sheet with oil. Place the sliced pieces of baguette on the cookie sheet and lightly brush each piece with oil. Bake until golden brown, approximately 6 minutes.
- With a mortar-and-pestle or a food processor, puree the fava beans with extra-virgin olive oil, garlic, lemon juice, and Parmesan. Season the mixture with salt and pepper, to taste.
- In a skillet on high heat, saute the mushrooms in 2 tablespoons olive oil and shallots until tender. Season the mixture with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Spread a spoonful of the fava puree on each slice of baguette and then top with a small amount ricotta then garnish with a piece of cooked morel.
SAUTéED MOREL MUSHROOMS
Once you've eaten a Morel mushroom, you want more! Available for picking for only a short time in the spring. Just as fun to hunt for them as it is to cook and eat them. I can't get enough! I eat this by itself and on toast!
Provided by Krsi Sue
Categories Vegetable
Time 8m
Yield 4 serving(s)
Number Of Ingredients 6
Steps:
- Sauté garlic until soft in butter.
- Add mushrooms and sauté for 2-3 minutes, constantly stirring.
- Add broth and wine and cook another 2-3 minutes.
- Add salt and pepper to taste.
EGG NOODLES WITH MOREL MUSHROOMS AND GARBANZO BEANS
Categories Bean Mushroom Vegetarian Quick & Easy High Fiber Dinner Chickpea Bon Appétit Pescatarian Peanut Free Tree Nut Free Soy Free Kosher
Yield Serves 2; can be doubled
Number Of Ingredients 9
Steps:
- Bring broth and mushrooms to simmer in heavy small saucepan. Remove from heat; let stand until mushrooms soften, about 12 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer mushrooms to small bowl; reserve soaking liquid in pan. Heat oil in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic; stir 30 seconds. Add mushrooms and reserved soaking liquid, leaving any sediment in pan. Add wine and garbanzo beans. Boil until mushrooms are tender and sauce is reduced by half, about 8 minutes.
- Add noodles, 1/2 cup cheese and thyme to sauce. Toss until sauce coats noodles, about 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Serve with remaining cheese.
FRIED MOREL MUSHROOMS
We had the best year of mushroom hunting this year in 2011 thanks in part to the great amounts of rain we had this past Spring in Southern Indiana. Here is one of my favorite recipes for Morel mushrooms. Best served when piping hot from the skillet along with some homemade Holly's Horsey Sauce or your own special sauces!
Provided by Holly Grier- Wallace
Categories Other Appetizers
Time 30m
Number Of Ingredients 6
Steps:
- 1. Thoroughly wash and rinse the Morel mushrooms and soak in a cold water and salt bath for at least 1/2 hour prior to cooking (just enough water to cover).
- 2. Whisk egg and milk together in a medium sized bowl and add some salt and pepper, stir well.
- 3. Heat a skillet with around 1/2" of vegetable oil on medium high heat.
- 4. Place approximately 1 cup of flour in a medium sized bowl (depending on how many mushrooms you found, use more or less flour...if its less then I'm sorry about your luck). Lightly salt and pepper the flour and mix together.
- 5. Drain the soaking mushrooms well, then place a few at a time first in the egg mixture, then in the flour mixture and coat well.
- 6. The oil is ready when you drop a bit of mushroom in the pan and it sizzles to the top. Add your coated mushrooms to the pan and cook for around 2-3 minutes each side, until they are a light, crispy brown. Drain on a paper towel and serve with your favorite dipping sauces (see Holly's Horseradish Sauce and Kickin' Ketchup Horsey Sauce recipes below). Enjoy!
- 7. ****Holly's Horsey Sauce***** Add 1/4 cup of mayonnaise and 2 tsp of fresh horseradish to a small bowl and mix well. Recipe can be doubled or tripled, it makes a great dip for everything from roast beef to fried vegetables!
- 8. ****Holly's Kickin' Ketchup Horsey Sauce**** 1/2 Cup Ketchup, 1-2 tbs fresh horseradish (depending on how hot you like it), dash of Worcestershire sauce and a dash of salt & coarse ground pepper then mix well and enjoy!
Tips:
- Forage for Morel Mushrooms Responsibly: Only harvest morel mushrooms that are fully mature and leave the younger ones to grow. Avoid picking mushrooms near roads or areas with potential contamination.
- Properly Clean Morel Mushrooms: Before cooking, clean morel mushrooms thoroughly to remove dirt and debris. Gently rinse them under running water and pat them dry with a paper towel.
- Slice or Halve Morel Mushrooms: Depending on the recipe, you may need to slice or halve the morel mushrooms. For sautéing or grilling, slice them lengthwise. For stews or soups, halving them is sufficient.
- Sauté Morel Mushrooms: Sautéing morel mushrooms is a quick and easy way to enjoy their unique flavor. Heat butter or oil in a pan, add the morel mushrooms, and cook until they are tender and slightly browned.
- Pair Morel Mushrooms with Complementary Ingredients: Morel mushrooms pair well with various ingredients, including garlic, shallots, cream, butter, and herbs like thyme or parsley. Experiment with different combinations to create flavorful dishes.
- Use Morel Mushrooms in a Variety of Dishes: Morel mushrooms can be used in a variety of dishes, including omelets, pasta, risotto, and stews. Their earthy flavor adds depth and richness to any dish.
- Preserve Morel Mushrooms: If you have an abundance of morel mushrooms, consider preserving them for later use. You can dry them, freeze them, or pickle them to enjoy their flavor throughout the year.
Conclusion:
Morel mushrooms are a prized culinary ingredient known for their unique flavor and aroma. With their distinctive honeycomb-like caps, they add a touch of luxury and elegance to any dish. Whether you sauté them, grill them, or add them to stews and soups, morel mushrooms are a versatile ingredient that can elevate any meal. Remember to forage responsibly, clean them thoroughly, and pair them with complementary ingredients to make the most of their exquisite taste.
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